If I Only Could
by SliverTonguedHunter
Summary: It was her mission, she was supposed to go alone. But she begged for him to come along, just in case. Now he was ripped from her grasp and she could barely breath anymore. He was gone and she was left behind, falling to pieces. But that didn't stop Annabeth from trying to bring him back. -Percabeth


_And if I only could,_

_Make a deal with God,_

_And get him to swap our places,_

_Be running up that road,_

_Be running up that hill,_

_Be running up that building._

_If I only could, oh..._

_It was her mission originally; she was supposed to go by herself. But she begged Chiron to allow another to go with her, just for safety. She was supposed to retrieve Aegis, Zeus 'shield, from a cave protected by the Orthrus, a two-headed, serpent-tailed dog. She was supposed to kill the creature, get the shield and come back to camp safely. She chose Percy to go with her, knowing that with him, they'd be basically unstoppable. She was wrong, oh had she been wrong._

Annabeth sat up in her bed, drenched in a cold sweat. Her breath was out of place, hard and irregular. The memory flashed in her mind, the pain still fresh. She slid off her bed, the pressure of her feet causing the floorboard to creak. She pitter pattered over to the bathroom, flicking on the light. She squinted, her eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness.

The person who stared back in the mirror wasn't Annabeth. This girl had hollowed out eyes, chapped bruising lips and limp, dead blonde hair. Her skin was sickly pale, as if all the color was drained from her face. She turned on the water, watching it circle down the drain. She splashed it up, the cool water steaming off of her burning face. She rubbed her eye, causing her to wince slightly. Her hand was covered in cuts after all the abuse she put it through. Her muscles ached, screaming to go back to bed. But Annabeth refused.

_They left that night for the cave. It was a simple two day journey to the cave and back. She had her trusted dagger and he had his Riptide sword. They took the Pegasus' as a form of travel, soaring throughout the clouds in bliss. He kept making her laugh, telling funny stories about what he used to do as a baby. He'd attempt to do a trick, trying to get Blackjack to flip upside, as if he was flying a plane. She yelled at him about being reckless, smiling carelessly. They spotted the cave, soaring downward towards it._

She turned off the light, slipping out of the bathroom. She sighed, wrapping her arms around her body. Lightening flashed in the sky, illuminating the apartment's living room. Rain splashed down on the windows lightly, a soft rumbling was heard in the background. The living room was filled with papers; mostly her designs of Olympus and some of the papers were Percy's homework. They planned on doing everything together; attending the same college, getting jobs doing what they love and eventually getting married. They had it all planned out, a life together forever. But forever isn't what it seemed.

The rain's pressure increased, the thunder booming in her ears. Annabeth sat down on the couch, hugging her knees to her chest. Lightening flashed again, tears falling lightly from her eyes. They splashed onto the cushions, imprinting it with tear drops. She wanted Percy to be there, she wanted him to wipe away all the tears. She wanted his arms wrapped around her stomach; she wanted her head on his chest. She reached up, using her wrist to wipe them away with her sleeve. She sniffled, hiccupping from her silent sobs. She couldn't grasp a breath, her tears falling down faster now. Sobs escaped her lips, echoing the thunder outside.

The thunder rumbled on, lightening flashing harder now. Her emotions clouded her judgment, making her feel completely reckless. She climbed off the couch, running out of her apartment and into the storm. She looked up at the sky, her tears blending into the rain. It soaked her clothes, shaking her to the bone.

"THIS IS YOUR ENTIRE FAULT! YOU DID THIS! YOU TOOK HIM AWAY FROM ME! YOU TOOK HIM AWAY FROM HIS LIFE! YOU HAD NO RIGHT! HE SAVED YOU! HE SAVED ALL OF YOU!" She screamed into the air, the words drowning in the booming thunder. She knew Zeus could hear her, she knew he would be furious. Annabeth wanted him to punish her; she wanted all the pain to end. She hated him; she wanted to hate him so much. But it was Percy's choice. He died to save her.

_They entered the cave, Percy in the lead. Rocks scattered across the floor with every step, echoing off of the cave walls. It was too quiet, Annabeth knew that right away. Her senses were going crazy, her skin tingling from unease. She tugged on Percy's shirt, taking the lead. It was her mission; she wasn't going to let him get hurt in case of danger. Percy looked around, a rock skidding across the floor and hitting his leg lightly. He turned around, jumping slightly. Nico stood behind them, jumping as well. He explained how his father wanted the shield as well, allowing Nico to search for it. He begged Annabeth to allow him to help, causing her to agree with Percy on how bigger is better. They came upon the opening of a cavern, the shield resting in the middle of it all. She looked around, searching for the creature. They entered the cavern slowly, their eyes scanning it, searching for life anywhere. Percy picked up the shield, holding it into the air dramatically._

_He smiled, the shield reflecting off of the little light in the cavern. Annabeth sighed in relief, shaking her head at him. She took his hand, asking him if it was time to go home now. They walked out of the cavern, a low hissing behind them. A tail slid around Annabeth's foot, dragging her back towards the cave. A scream escaped her throat, her fingers clawing into the ground. _

_Percy grabbed her hand, yanking her back. He fell backwards onto the cavern's floor, Riptide scattering across the ground. The creature let out a roar, baring its teeth at Percy and Nico. Nico attacked the Orthrus, swinging his blade at the monster. He slashed across one of the heads, green blood oozing from it. Percy struggled to get Annabeth to her feet, stabbing the Orthrus' tail when Riptide returned to him in his pocket. The creature let out a weak roar, the remaining head jabbing out to its attacker. Percy turned around, blocking Annabeth from the attack. The tooth pierced through his back, hitting his Achilles' heel. The tail released Annabeth, wrapping around Percy's body, crushing it into him even further._

"_PERCY, NO!" Her voice rang out throughout the darkness, echoing off of the empty walls. He stumbled backwards, the blood staining his hands as the tooth pierced into his stomach even further. The edge of the cavern led off onto a cliff, diving down towards the center of the Earth. His foot caught the edge of the cliff, the rocks falling down below him. _

"_I love you Annabeth." His voice was soft, filled with pain. He fell backwards, the creature dragging his leg down with him. Annabeth fell to her knees, her sobs filling the air. Nico tried to pull her back, telling her that they had to go. She crawled towards the edge, her fingernails digging into the ground. They pulled her back from the edge, forcing her to her feet. Two skeleton soldiers held her back, her feet kicking into the air. She struggled against them, her sobs echoing in their ears. Percy Jackson was dead._

Her knees clashed onto the ground, the rocks jabbing into her skin, even threw her flannel pajama pants. Black spots filled her vision and the last thing she knew, Annabeth was falling to the ground. Her head slammed into the concrete, blooding gushing out of her temple. All Annabeth could hear was Percy's voice whispering in her ear and the soft melody of rain splashing against the ground. 

Her eyes fluttered open, sun beaming down on her. She moaned, rolling over, the blankets covering her head. Her muscles ached, screaming out in pain as she moved. Her body hit something hard yet soft to the touch. She squinted her eyes open, blinking a few times. A body lay next to her, the tan skin shocking her. She pushed away from the body, scrambling the sheets around her feet. Annabeth yelped, her body weight shifting so she fell off the bed. She pushed away all the blankets, the mattress shifting as the body rolled over.

"Annabeth, what are you doing? It's too early in the morning for this." The voice was muffled under the pillow, but she knew it anywhere. Percy rolled over, looking off the edge of the bed. His eyes shined brightly, his hair sticking up all over the place. A bit of droll was hanging on his cheek, his lips chapped. She stared at him, her breath caught in her throat. He was dead. She watched him die. She sat up on the floor, the sheets pooling around her. He smiled the light shining through the window as if he was an angel. She scrambled to her feet, tackling him backwards onto the bed. Her fists beat against his chest, tears rushing down her cheeks.

"YOU IDIOT! I HATE YOU! WHY'D YOU DO THAT?!" Her voice cracked, her arms wrapping around his torso. She buried her face into his chest, her sobs dying down. Percy ran his fingers through her hair, kissing the top of her head lightly. She pulled away from him slightly, looking up into his eyes.

"I love you Seaweed Brain."

"I love you Wise Girl." 

The machine beeped slowly, drawing out when it would rise again. Annabeth's body lay in the hospital, unmoving and unresponsive. An IV was hooked into her arm, liquid dripping down through the tube. Her breathing was steady, peaceful. The machine sparked suddenly, her heartbeat rising. Her breathing became erratic. Nurses flooded the room, screaming she was going into shock. They jolted her, her body rising into the air before slamming back down.

Annabeth Chase died on November 17 at 9:46 in the morning. Percy Jackson died only 2 months before that on September 21. Her spirit joined his in the Afterlife, allowing them to live out what was once stolen from them in their mortal forms. When Annabeth's heart gave out, another heart started to beat. A newborn baby was born happy and healthy, a girl named Annie. Annie grew up with a best friend, Peter who was born only two months before her. This couple grew up with love, eventually finding love in one another. They lived out their lives happily, having kids and succeeding in the world before finally passing away, once again, their souls being reincarnated into the world. 

Author's Note: So this took me a few days to successfully complete. I kept changing the ending and parts of the story. I usually like to have it where they end up together again, getting past all of the heartbreak and such. I'm actually quite happy how this one turned out; I know Annabeth seems a bit OOC but if you think about it really: if the love of your life was killed in front of you, wouldn't you have nightmares and be upset? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little fic and watch for more things coming from me! I honestly don't know about the ending, I'm debating on it. Tell me how you like it though! Review if you would like!


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